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Possible, or Imagined
One path you can walk, one you cannot.
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One of these you can step onto.
Learner writes an unreal condition as if + past, then would + verb, and chooses between the real and unreal frame by whether the situation is possible.
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Six situations. Pick the frame that matches the world.
Governments are not investing in transport, and are unlikely to. Which sentence says that?
Real, unreal, and what the past form is actually doing.
real if + present → will it could happen
unreal if + past → would it is not the case
If governments invest more, congestion will fall.
If governments invested more, congestion would fall.
Same words. The first predicts. The second imagines.
One path you can walk, one you cannot.
One of these you can step onto.
Twelve situations. Four of them are genuinely arguable.
Sort each item into the correct category
Three worked chains. Judge the world, then write the verb.
1. Nobody can breathe underwater.
Could this happen?
So the frame is if + , then .
So the sentence is: If humans [breathe] underwater, cities would be built on the seabed.
2. A bill to cut tuition fees is being debated this month.
Could this happen?
So the frame is if + , then .
So the sentence is: If fees [fall], more students will apply.
3. No government is planning to tax corporations more.
Could this happen?
So the frame is if + , then .
So the sentence is: If companies [pay] more tax, services would improve.
Ten sentences, both verbs missing. Five real, five unreal.
If the council [approve] the bill, work [start] in June. — real
If humans [have] gills, coastal cities [look] very different. — unreal
If fuel prices [rise], hauliers [pass] the cost on. — real
If I [be] the minister, I [ban] cars from the centre. — unreal, formal
If the trend [continue], the city [run] out of water. — real
If every country [agree] one tax rate, avoidance [end] overnight. — unreal
If enrolment [fall] again, two departments [close]. — real
If the war [never happen], the region [be] wealthier now. — unreal
If the company [relocate], four hundred jobs [go]. — real
If university [be] free, applications [double]. — unreal